The Xhosa tribe in South Africa have rite-of-passage ritual [circumcision] into manhood, called ukwaluka.
In this ritual young men around 18 years of age are circumcised by a traditional practitioner called an incibi. During the 10 day recovery period they are mentored by older male caregivers (ikhankatha) about the secret codes, practices and responsibilities of being a Xhosa man.urucumedia.com Ukwaluka is considered a test for endurance, of how courageous a man can be in his life. NPR 9.6.2014
What are the origins of ukwaluka?
Hebrew Bible?
The first person commanded to circumcise himself was Abraham, at the age of ninety-nine. G‑d told him (Genesis 17:7), “And I will establish a My covenant between Me and between you and between your seed after you throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant, to be to you for a G‑d and to your seed after you.”
“On the eighth day, the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.” (Leviticus 12:2), Learn more⇒ Chabad.org ♦ The Mitzvah – Abraham Chill Pages # 5 6 7
Xhosa Tribe members who are Christians and follow the practice cite:
- origin — Genesis 17:10-14, 23-27,
- missiological — Acts 16:3
- moral argument — deuteronomy 10:16; Philippian 3:3
as justification for the continued practice of circumcision. The conclusion in the treatise though is that baptism substitutes for circumcision for Christians.AJOL.info
I checked with the author of zpokwana.wordpress.com who is an oral historian and researcher and he states in an email dated 5.4.2015 that he does not think there is a story of this ritual, it dates back to time immemorial and does not have any links to the Bible. He had asked his grandfather about it who was an oral historian and there was no clarity on the origins. Zuku Pokwana is also the director of the Vusizwe Foundation for Historical Research.
All I’ve found in the references and emails to authors – Search Engine Research is that it’s Tradition… but no real citation or story. If you have any insight to this question of where the tradition started and origins, please post in comments below. Please include links if applicable to your source.
References
Trip Down Memory Lane Blogspot Tons of pictures on Xhosa culture, but you have to scroll and scroll, it’s all on ONE page.
Botched ritual circumcision leads to world’s first penile transplant. Learn more at NPR 3.19.2015
Botched circumcision calls attention to the dangers NPR 9.6.2014
Ukwaluka – initiation of boys in amazizi dlamini culture zpokwana.wordpress.com
Ukwaluka is an ancient rights-of-passage into manhood still widely practiced among the Xhosa people of South Africa. Boys between the ages of sixteen and twenty-three are traditionally taken up a mountain where they are circumcised and kept in isolation for several weeks. During the first 10 days of the healing process, the initiates’ food intake is severely limited and they must observe a vow of silence.
It is during this period of extreme physical vulnerability that they are mentored by older male caregivers (ikhankatha) about the secret codes, practices and responsibilities of being a Xhosa man urucumedia.com
Wikipedia numerous references
Child Pages
Bukusu Tribe Circumcision Ritual
![tribal-dance_slide-5fba1b7ff96263e236af0887c609af44a8b9d7c1-s800-c85[1]](https://generallaw.steveshorr.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2015/05/tribal-dance_slide-5fba1b7ff96263e236af0887c609af44a8b9d7c1-s800-c851-300x200.jpg)
Newly circumcised initiates (Umkhweta) of Xhosa tribe in South Africa
Circumcision rituals in South Africa – the ceremonial transition to manhood in the Xhosa society – are resulting in the mutilation and death of hundreds of young men each year.
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/Q7PIZmE2aJ8″ width=”360″ height=”280″ responsive=”no”]
the male circumcision rituals of the Xhosa tribe; the dangers to young men,
[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/D2bi__eoQsA” width=”360″ height=”280″ responsive=”no”]
InsuBuy International Medical Coverage – Instant Quotes & Enrollment
What about the circumcisions gone bad and a young man loses his penis? Where do they get donor penises?
In South Africa, even if a man signs himself up as an organ donor, his family must give final written approval of that request following his death. Time and again, families flat-out refused to consider giving up the penis of a deceased father, brother, husband or son. “I cannot even count how many no’s we got. It was very frustrating,” van der Merwe says. “People just don’t want their relatives going to the grave without a penis.”
Then, an idea struck. Van der Merwe offered to fashion a faux penis out of a donor’s skin instead—a way to preserve the deceased’s dignity while also allowing him to do one final good deed. “People all of a sudden were thinking about the request, rather than just bluntly saying ‘no,’” van der Merwe says. On the fourth or fifth try—a year and a half after they began the search for a donor—one family finally said yes to a full penis donation.
For now, the procedure is most promising for men who have lost their penises to cancer, battle injuries or accidents. Indeed, since news broke about the operation, van der Merwe has received numerous messages from hopeful men. “One man from the U.S. emailed me and said his life is intolerable, he has a stump not much longer than those from [botched] ritual circumcision,” van der Merwe says. Smithsonian Magazine *
“Unfortunately we could not find a donor of the same race. In this case the donor is white and the recipient is black.” Health 24.com
The biggest challenge to this SU study is organ donation. “I think the lack of penis transplants across the world since we performed the first one in 2014, is mostly due to a lack of donors. It might be easier to donate organs that you cannot see, like a kidney, than something like a hand or a penis,” says Van der Merwe.
Other penile replacement options
Current surgical options for patients include penis reconstruction involving free tissue transfer. During this procedure skin and soft tissue (“flap”) is taken from the arm, reconstructed into a penis and attached to the body. A prosthesis can also be implanted to allow sexual intercourse, but it is expensive and complications may develop. eurekalert.org
The penis may be an allograft from a human donor, or it may be grown artificially, though the latter has not yet been transplanted onto a human.
genitourinary vascularized composite allografts (GUVCA) to replace lost tissue under conventional immunosuppressive medication. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penis_transplantation ******* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6127561/
Phalloplasty is the construction or reconstruction of a penis, or the artificial modification of the penis by surgery. The term phalloplasty is also occasionally used to refer to penis enlargement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalloplasty
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly3yLBL4Gtg&w=731&h=494%5D
Longer story from Quartz Africa https://qz.com/africa/1140050/south-african-surgeons-transplanted-a-white-penis-on-to-a-black-man/
What about the circumcisions gone bad and a young man loses his penis? Where do they get donor penises?
In South Africa, even if a man signs himself up as an organ donor, his family must give final written approval of that request following his death. Time and again, families flat-out refused to consider giving up the penis of a deceased father, brother, husband or son. “I cannot even count how many no’s we got. It was very frustrating,” van der Merwe says. “People just don’t want their relatives going to the grave without a penis.”
Then, an idea struck. Van der Merwe offered to fashion a faux penis out of a donor’s skin instead—a way to preserve the deceased’s dignity while also allowing him to do one final good deed. “People all of a sudden were thinking about the request, rather than just bluntly saying ‘no,’” van der Merwe says. On the fourth or fifth try—a year and a half after they began the search for a donor—one family finally said yes to a full penis donation.
For now, the procedure is most promising for men who have lost their penises to cancer, battle injuries or accidents. Indeed, since news broke about the operation, van der Merwe has received numerous messages from hopeful men. “One man from the U.S. emailed me and said his life is intolerable, he has a stump not much longer than those from [botched] ritual circumcision,” van der Merwe says. Smithsonian Magazine *
“Unfortunately we could not find a donor of the same race. In this case the donor is white and the recipient is black.” Health 24.com
The biggest challenge to this SU study is organ donation. “I think the lack of penis transplants across the world since we performed the first one in 2014, is mostly due to a lack of donors. It might be easier to donate organs that you cannot see, like a kidney, than something like a hand or a penis,” says Van der Merwe.
Other penile replacement options
Current surgical options for patients include penis reconstruction involving free tissue transfer. During this procedure skin and soft tissue (“flap”) is taken from the arm, reconstructed into a penis and attached to the body. A prosthesis can also be implanted to allow sexual intercourse, but it is expensive and complications may develop. eurekalert.org
The penis may be an allograft from a human donor, or it may be grown artificially, though the latter has not yet been transplanted onto a human.
genitourinary vascularized composite allografts (GUVCA) to replace lost tissue under conventional immunosuppressive medication. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penis_transplantation ******* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6127561/
Phalloplasty is the construction or reconstruction of a penis, or the artificial modification of the penis by surgery. The term phalloplasty is also occasionally used to refer to penis enlargement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalloplasty
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ly3yLBL4Gtg&w=731&h=494%5D
Longer story from Quartz Africa https://qz.com/africa/1140050/south-african-surgeons-transplanted-a-white-penis-on-to-a-black-man/
It seems it’s a Bantu culture, some things are same to Bukusu of Kenya. Including the same word Ukwalukha. And applying of white clay after initiation.
History of Bantu needs to be researched, in Kenya there is a Myth that Bantu learned from Nilotes when we interacted, but it’s a lie if Bantus went to different directions earlier on , it means it started way back.
Research Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bantu_peoples
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukusu
http://www.bluegecko.org/kenya/contexts/nilotes.htm
It seems it’s a Bantu culture, some things are same to Bukusu of Kenya. Including the same word Ukwalukha. And applying of white clay after initiation.
History of Bantu needs to be researched, in Kenya there is a Myth that Bantu learned from Nilotes when we interacted, but it’s a lie if Bantus went to different directions earlier on , it means it started way back.
Research Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bantu_peoples
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukusu
http://www.bluegecko.org/kenya/contexts/nilotes.htm
Good day
The history of this ritual is unclear. However, it needs to be traced in order to establish it’s relevance on this day and age. During my conversation with Mayenzeke Baza, who has recently made a documentary relating to this ritual, we have agreed that to issues need to be observed here, namely it’s #Relevance and #Procedure.
Thank you very much for your comment. We had the documentary on this page. We’ve added an interview with Mayenzeke Baza, above. Please post anything you find on relevance and procedure with the Internet Address – URL like this for the Al Jazeera written summary of the documentary. http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/peopleandpower/2013/01/20131211736199557.html
Good day
The history of this ritual is unclear. However, it needs to be traced in order to establish it’s relevance on this day and age. During my conversation with Mayenzeke Baza, who has recently made a documentary relating to this ritual, we have agreed that to issues need to be observed here, namely it’s #Relevance and #Procedure.
Thank you very much for your comment. We had the documentary on this page. We’ve added an interview with Mayenzeke Baza, above. Please post anything you find on relevance and procedure with the Internet Address – URL like this for the Al Jazeera written summary of the documentary. http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/peopleandpower/2013/01/20131211736199557.html
When did xhosa circumcision start
Please review the above article again and if you still have questions, please contact my original sources & citations.
When did xhosa circumcision start
Please review the above article again and if you still have questions, please contact my original sources & citations.
18 years old? Damn that’s really old. I got circ’d when i was 9 and it hurt like a mf
Xhosa go to the bush from 12 plus just because we do not use Hospital medicine
18 years old? Damn that’s really old. I got circ’d when i was 9 and it hurt like a mf
Xhosa go to the bush from 12 plus just because we do not use Hospital medicine
What is the costume that they wear?
That’s beyond my level of knowledge. Try following the links and citations. Hopefully someone more knowledgable than I can help you. Try Zuko Pokwana Ah! Jongisilo [email protected] +27 83 9933 592
Blanket. And they cut pieces to cover front and back.
What is the costume that they wear?
That’s beyond my level of knowledge. Try following the links and citations. Hopefully someone more knowledgable than I can help you. Try Zuko Pokwana Ah! Jongisilo [email protected] +27 83 9933 592
Blanket. And they cut pieces to cover front and back.
when did Xhosa people start initiation here in Africa?
See above, the author of zpokwana.wordpress.com says it goes back to time immemorial.
Our history was never written down and as a result, we know very little, if not at all about our past. It’s only after the arrival of the white men that we began to read about our own history. We will never know how we (blacks) lived 1000 years ago. Maybe, the archaeological sites (if any) may help in this regard. Our history remains buried with our ancestors. This is so sad.
Thank you very much for your input. I’m learning too.
when did Xhosa people start initiation here in Africa?
See above, the author of zpokwana.wordpress.com says it goes back to time immemorial.
Our history was never written down and as a result, we know very little, if not at all about our past. It’s only after the arrival of the white men that we began to read about our own history. We will never know how we (blacks) lived 1000 years ago. Maybe, the archaeological sites (if any) may help in this regard. Our history remains buried with our ancestors. This is so sad.
Thank you very much for your input. I’m learning too.